The false news-combatting algorithms will focus on Twitter, where bot accounts run by computer programs can seem deceptively real. The accounts automatically post content, follow other Twitter users and leave comments.

The project is funded through the Texas National Security Network Excellence and led by Chengkai Li, an associate professor in UTA’s Department of Computer Science and Engineering.

Mark Tremayne, an assistant professor of communication and collaborator on the project, explains how fake news stories can be evaluated by the social networks they spread through.